


Drunken Friend during Christmas

by silentdroplets



Series: In the Ice Mirror [3]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 04:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8148916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentdroplets/pseuds/silentdroplets
Summary: It's a snowy Christmas night, and Hitsugaya is sleeping when he witnesses something that makes him want to strangle his lieutenant there and then.





	

Little flakes of white floated gently across Soul Society. These petals of winter covered alleys and roofs, glittering like gems in the sun. 

This season brought along many things. Christmas was one of the many events everyone in Seireitei enjoyed, except for Captain Hitsugaya. He did, however, like the cold, and trained each day in the favourable conditions. His zanpakuto was also more than happy to comply, adding to the already freezing temperatures around them. 

Hence, it was no wonder he was so tired in the evenings, when Hinamori often dropped by to give some announcement to Matsumoto, or just to chat with the captain. 

His birthday passed - those mentioned above did up a nice firework display for him, along with plates of sugared beans and watermelon - and it was now the Christmas season.

Children from Rukongai were playing and laughing at Christmas parties, tearing open gifts from their parents or elders, and it was no different in the Seireitei. Captains and officers exchanged presents of vastly differing sizes, while other Shinigami celebrated with feasts and a big toast.

It was crowded in the division training grounds where they held warm, loud parties, and everyone was happy, talking and having a whale of time.

All except Hitsugaya, however. He had retreated to his own training cave - he had stumbled upon the spacious chamber when looking for a place to train for bankai quite some time back - and had already worn himself out, panting as he leaned against the sword. 

 _"Do you want to rest, master?"_  Hyōrinmaru asked. The ice dragon was tired as well, stretching his wings to get the ache out of them and flexing his jaws. Expelling ice through the blade was tiring for his own mouth as he opened them wide, created columns of ice from each breath.

"No," came the reply through sharp breaths. "We need to train more."

And so the training continued, the captain savouring the evening of solitude and peace, as the screams of laughter and joy erupted in the distance.

~~~~~~

It was already midnight when he returned from his training.  _Later than usual,_  he thought. He was, however, pleased with his productivity that day. Eyeing the pile on the table that refused to budge under Matsumoto's supervision, he sighed. "Guess I'll have to do that tomorrow-" He was interrupted by the chime of the clock striking twelve. "Or rather, later."

He padded off to his room, taking off his  _haori_  and folding it, placing it on the desk beside his bed. 

The moon was shining brightly that night, enveloping his covers in assuring rays. He promptly fell asleep, soft snores soon filling the room.

A couple of hours later, however, his eyes groggily peeled open.

"Tis' the season-"

"What?" he mumbled to himself.

"-to be happy... Or was it jolly?" came slurred words that echoed across his room. 

Hitsugaya rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock - the arms were pointing towards 2am. He gritted his teeth and looked at the window, though there wasn't anyone that he could see clearly.

"Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer..." he heard, wincing at the badly-sung lyrics. It was muffled, and he couldn't exactly identify the singer -  _whose voice sounds like a strangled crow's_ , Hyōrinmaru hummed sleepily. However, he wanted to know who had disturbed his otherwise deep, sweet sleep, so he swung his legs off the bed and stood up, padding across the room.

He pushed the glass open and peered out, glaring into the distance. 

There stood Matsumoto with a sheet of paper in her hands, her eyes barely open in the harsh wind and snow, and singing to no particular audience - well, the wall. 

"What the hell do you think you're doing out there, Matsumoto?" he yelled across the wind. She stopped yowling and turned to face Hitsugaya. 

"Ah, Captain! Did you hear my carolling? They said my voice was good-"

She turned around as she walked, and misjudging the distance between her and the wall, she crashed into it face first. 

He sighed. "Come on, Matsumoto. Get in."

She pulled her face off the wall. "But I need to continue carolling! It's my new profession, you know!" she said, words slurred. Holding up the piece of paper, she began to sing once more. The shrill tone of her voice made Hitsugaya cringe.

"You really need to stop your drunken carolling. Outside my window."

Matsumoto cast a hazy glare at him. "I haven't finished yet!"

"At two in the freaking morning."

She stopped short. "It's so late?" she exclaimed, looking at her wrist. Not that she had a watch, anyway. "I need to get to another house!" 

She was about to run off when Hitsugaya leapt over the ledge and grabbed hold of her sleeves. "It's in the middle of the  _night!_ " he said in exasperation. "Are you drunk, Matsumoto?"

"Eh-"

"Well, obviously you are. Crazy as you always are, you wouldn't be doing something  _this_  insane. Get in now."

He pulled her into the window and shut it, noticing how she was shivering despite how she was standing in the middle of the snow. He had to drag her along the corridors, but when they reached her room, she somehow sobered up, though she still did insist on singing.

"I'll see myself to bed, Captain, don't you worry-" she said as she tripped over the bed, falling onto the soft blankets. Snores erupted from her sleeping figure almost immediately.

Hitsugaya pulled the blanket over her and took the paper from her hands, placing it onto the bedside table. 

"Sleep tight, Matsumoto," he whispered as he closed the door. 

"And please don't start singing drunk again."

 


End file.
